Reunification Counseling

Reunification Counseling Process

During reunification therapy with one of our clinical and forensic clinicians, the parents and parties agree that the objective of the family therapy intervention is not to determine if it is in the child(ren)’s best interest to have contact with one of the parents but rather the parents agree that it is in the child(ren)’s best interest to have a meaningful relationship with both parents.

Book An Appointment

How it Works

To meet the objectives of reunification therapy, the parents agree to the involvement of the entire family in various combinations, as directed by the reunification therapist. The process will include meetings with each parent and the child(ren) individually and jointly. The parents agree to participate in group therapy as requested. The process may also include meetings with other family members as deemed necessary by the reunification therapist.

Core Reunification Goals

The family therapy intervention aims to help the child(ren) have healthy and meaningful relationships with both parents. While the parents may have different views about the cause and reason for the child(ren)’s refusal and or reluctance to see a parent, they agree not only on the notion that children should have meaningful relationships with both parents but also that they each need to be a part of the solution to meet the reunification objective. Both parents understand that they will be engaged in the therapeutic work necessary to support the children’s contact with both parents. Core reunification goals are the following:

Foster overall healthy child adjustment
Facilitate the implementation of the previously agreed-to or court-ordered parenting schedule
Restore, develop or facilitate adequate parenting and co-parenting functioning and skills
Assist the parents in fully understanding the child(ren)’s needs for healthy relationships with both parents and the negative repercussions for the child(ren) of a severed or compromised relationship with a parent in their young lives and as adults
Restore or facilitate contact between the rejected parent and the children(ren)
Assist the parents and their child(ren) in identifying and separating each child’s needs and views from each parent’s needs and views
Work with each family member to establish more appropriate parent-parent and parent-child roles and boundaries
Correct the child(ren)’s distortions and replace these with more realistic perceptions reflecting the child’s experience with both parents
Assist the child(ren) in differentiating self from others and exercising age-appropriate autonomy
Assist each parent in distinguishing valid concerns from overly negative, critical, and generalized views relating to the other parent

Please get in touch with our scheduling office or fax us to schedule a brief phone call and secure the forensic service retainer. Email is also encouraged at info@nwft-premier.com.

Reunification Counseling